FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — A 17-year-old student seen on video beating a teacher’s aide at a Central Florida high school is back in court Tuesday.
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The incident unfolded in February 2023 at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast and was captured on a school surveillance camera.
Investigators charged Brendan Depa with aggravated battery.
PREVIOUS: Sentencing hearing for student accused of beating a local teacher’s aide continued
In October, Depa pleaded ‘no contest’ to those charges.
Attorneys for Depa, who they say is autistic, claimed the teen acted out because the aide took his Nintendo Switch video game console. They argued she should have been more aware of his disabilities and behavioral issues.
The aide, Joan Naydich, said at a previous court hearing, that the incident forever changed her life.
Naydich said in addition to mental trauma, she suffered “a concussion, hearing loss, vision loss, rotator cuff issues, broken ribs, and herniated disc.”
Depa was charged as an adult and faces up to 30 years in prison.
Channel 9′s Demie Johnson will be in court for this morning’s sentencing hearing.
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